


Making Up

by AyePatch



Series: AyePatch's Bumbleby Fics [8]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-20 17:34:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30008457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyePatch/pseuds/AyePatch
Summary: Yang struggles to come to terms with Blake's return
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Series: AyePatch's Bumbleby Fics [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2107353
Comments: 6
Kudos: 88





	Making Up

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place after Volume 5, immediately after "What You Did to Her"

Yang had immediately fallen asleep after she'd left Blake downstairs with Qrow. At least, that's what she wanted _Blake_ to think.

Blake, who was now curled up in the bed across from her, sleeping rather restlessly. She'd come upstairs sniffling, cheeks glistening with tears, and Yang's heart had torn itself apart between wanting to hold and comfort her, and wanting to keep her at arm's length.

Blake was back. _Blake_ was _back_. Even after her talk with Weiss, Yang had still never truly believed she'd see her again. But Blake was back.

And Yang didn't know what to do.

She'd spent almost a year telling herself she hated her. Swearing that she didn't want her to come back. And deep down, she _knew_ it was all bullshit, but now Blake was back and Yang was terrified of how easily her partner had slipped right back into her heart. She was fighting to keep her distance, but Blake had only been back a few hours and Yang already knew that she'd be destroyed all over again if she left another time. She _wanted_ to keep her distance, to protect herself. _Needed_ to, even. But she also wanted to collapse into Blake's arms and be held forever, to cry herself out in that embrace she'd once dared to think of as safe. That, even now, she dared to think could be safe once more.

How hopelessly, dangerously, _frighteningly_ in love could she be, that even in spite of how much she'd been hurt, in spite of how hard she'd tried to keep a safe distance since Blake's return, her partner had all but fused herself back into her soul in a matter of hours? Was there even a point in trying to stay away, when it proved so utterly useless? But then, what else could she _do_ but try to protect herself, however ineffective she might be?

Did she even _want_ to?

Deep down, she already knew the answer.

For all her posturing, as much to herself as anyone else, that she didn't care about Blake, the truth was that Yang had never wanted anything more than to just have her partner, her _best friend_ , back. As much as Blake leaving had shattered her, the chance to have Blake back in her life was worth going through it all again. Even if she didn't want to admit it.

Yang hadn't even realized she was crying until she shifted on her pillow and felt the wet cloth on her cheek. She heard Blake whimper in her sleep, and her heart ached for a time when it was so easy to climb into her best friend's bed and hold her through her nightmares. Would that time ever come again? Yang felt her throat tighten. She couldn't be here right now.

Forcing back a sniffle of her own, careful not to wake her sleeping partner, Yang slipped out of bed and tiptoed downstairs. 

Once she was outside in the yard, away from the house, she could finally fall apart in peace. She sat down and buried her face in her hands as her shoulders began to shake, her palms quickly becoming slick with tears, and she didn't bother choking back her sobs.

Sadness, anger, frustration, pain, joy, relief… every emotion she was capable of feeling, she felt now, each one strong enough to overwhelm her on its own. It felt like she was bursting at the seams with feelings she couldn't even begin to process, like after nearly a year of feeling numb and empty, everything she _should_ have felt then was all rushing back at once.

All the broken pieces she'd spent month after month carefully piecing back together were being blown apart all over again, and she didn't bother fighting to keep them together. She didn't think about how her wailing was probably audible from the house. She didn't have the strength to hold herself together anymore. She sobbed and sobbed, months of repressed anguish and pain flooding through her for what felt like hours. She sobbed for Pyrrha, and for Penny. For nearly a year lost that could have been spent with Blake, the woman who'd brought her more joy than anyone else in her life except perhaps her own mother. The woman who'd made her feel truly _happy_ for the first time in years. The woman she **_loved_**. Eventually, though, the last of her broken pieces were on the ground in front of her, and there was nothing left to do but start picking them up. But just as she began to collect herself, she heard a voice from behind her.

"Y–Yang?"

Yang hadn't even realized she still had pieces left to shatter, but that voice somehow twisted her heart into a million more, even tighter knots. She didn't know if Blake was exactly who she needed right now, or the last person she wanted. She might have been both. She took a big, sniffly inhale and pulled her face from her hands, and when she spoke, her voice was thick but steady. "Hey, Blake."

"Are… you okay?"

Yang still didn't turn to face her. "I'll be fine," she replied, and it came out sharp, but she couldn't find the energy to care. "Thanks."

"But… you're not fine now?" Blake asked timidly.

"I…" Yang sighed. "No, Blake. I'm _not_ fine right now."

"Why not?"

"Because you're here." She heard a gasp, and then a sniffle.

"Then I– I guess I should probably go back to bed," Blake choked out, sounding more hurt than Yang had ever heard her.

"Wait!" Yang called back. A sniffle was her only confirmation that Blake had listened. "That… came out wrong. I _want_ you here. I'm just… _really_ overwhelmed by... _all_ of this."

She heard shuffling next to her, and shaky, pained breathing, and she finally looked over to see Blake sitting down next to her, ears flat against her head and tears streaming down her cheeks. Blake's breath hitched in a silent sob and she tried to wipe at her eyes, seeming not to realize that Yang was looking until she glanced over and her eyes widened slightly. She looked like she was hurting every bit as much as Yang was, and on top of all the other aching, the blonde felt a powerful pang rip through her heart at the sight.

"I'm sorry," Blake choked out, barely more than a whisper. "I'm so, _so_ sorry."

Yang's heart was hardened from her own pain, but Blake looked like she needed a hug _so_ desperately and _fuck_ , Yang just couldn't say no when she knew that feeling so intimately herself. She wrapped her arms around Blake and pulled her close, her partner throwing her arms around her as well and clinging on as if her life depended on it, burrowing into the embrace. "I'm sorry," she sobbed desperately, pleadingly, over and over and over again into Yang's collar. "I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry!"

"Shh, shh," Yang cooed, her voice thick as she rocked her grieving partner back and forth. "Easy, Blake. It's gonna be okay. We're gonna be okay."

"I'm sorry," Blake just repeated, again and again, completely overwhelmed with anguish.

"I know, baby," Yang murmured, the endearment slipping out without thought. "I know."

Blake pulled away and looked Yang in the eyes, her own reddened and shining as her tears continued to flow. "Yang, please," she sobbed desperately, "you _have_ to understand, I never wanted _any_ of this to happen!" Her breathing was shallow and panicked, her eyes completely overflowing with tears. Even with her frantic attempts at eye contact, she didn't seem to be hearing Yang's reassurances. "I never meant to hurt you, I _swear_! I'm _so_ sorry! Adam, he– he told me he'd destroy _everything_ I… he said he'd start with _you_ and I couldn't– I couldn't put you in danger like that! So I ran! I ran and I left you and I'm _so_ sorry!"

" _Blake,_ " Yang said firmly. "Look at me. Can you look at me?"

Still trembling and sobbing, Blake managed a nod.

" _We're gonna be okay_ ," Yang said, slowly and softly, but no less absolutely. "We're gonna be okay. It's just gonna be a while. I have a lot of healing I need to do, a lot of things I need to figure out. It'll be a while before we can get to where we were before, but we _will_. Okay? I _promise_."

Blake broke down again, clinging tightly to Yang and burying into her as her sobbing began anew. " _Thank you_ ," she choked out. "Thank you."

Yang resumed rocking her back and forth. "Of course," she replied gently.

"You're too good for me," Blake whimpered once she'd regained some control over herself. "Why are you so good to me?"

"Because I l…" The words caught in Yang's throat. "Because I care about you, Blake. You're my best friend. My family."

"But I don't deserve it!" Blake wailed. "I'm terrible and I hurt you and you don't deserve--"

" _Stop._ "

Blake froze, the only movement the shaking of her shoulders as sobs continued to force their way out. Yang pushed her away, enough to look her in the eye and hold onto her shoulders..

"Stop talking about what we 'deserve'!" She said sternly. "It doesn't _matter_ what we 'deserve'! The only people who get to decide what we can be to each other is _us_ ! No higher power that can fucking… measure our worth or some shit gets the right to say what we can be! All that matters is what _we_ **_want_**!" Her tone softened and she leaned forward to rest her forehead against Blake's. "You and me. _Nobody_ else."

"And… what do you want?" Blake asked timidly.

" _YOU!_ " Yang cried out, before continuing in barely more than a whisper. "I just want _you_ …"

Blake sniffled. "Then you have me," she whispered. A sob forced its way out of her, and she buried her face in Yang's shoulder, her whole body shaking. " _Gods_ , you have me."

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to let me know what you think in the comments! Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, and what you want to see! Your feedback is a big part of what keeps me motivated!


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